FRA chief lawyer Reyes named acting deputy administrator

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Juan D. Reyes III, FRA acting deputy administrator

Federal Railroad Administration

WASHINGTON — The Department of Transportation has named the Federal Railroad Administration's chief counsel Juan D. Reyes III to be acting deputy administrator of the agency, news media report.

Reyes will assume the duties of Deputy Administrator Heath Hall. According to the transportation department's public affairs office, Hall was given an extended leave of absence earlier this month to attend serious family issues.

Ronald L. Batory, President Donald Trump's nominee to head the FRA, still has not received Senate confirmation. His nomination cleared the Senate Commerce Committee last August. Batory is currently a special advisor to the secretary on railroad issues, but he has no administrative authority at the FRA.

Before the president appointed Reyes to be the FRA's top attorney, Reyes was a partner in a New York law firm that specializes in land use and development. His official biography says he was instrumental in developing the firm's public-private partnership practice.